[Lower Right]
Photo above: Mohawk Mill is in left center, tram from Mammoth Mine above, Eureka Mills is upper right, Daly City is right of Eureka Mills and Johnsville in center.
Photo on left:
Mohawk Mill circa 1880ís, note clear cut hillside, steam generator building on right side of photo.

[Click on image to enlarge]

Inscription.

Tharís Gold in Them Hills!. . You might think the discovery of gold led to instant success, but that was not the case. . . Early miners lacked the capital to develop the mines. The Sierra Buttes Gold Mining Co. Ltd. bought the mines in the 1860ís and developed them successfully. 326 men were on the Eureka Mills payroll in 1872. They worked year-round to extend tunnels, lay tracks for mule-drawn ore carts and to complete a sawmill. . . The Mohawk mill began operation in 1878, with power to run the mill coming solely from a nearby stream. . . The mill cost about $50,000 to build. It had 60 stamps, each of which could crush 2 ½ tons of ore every 24 hours. The stamps were very loud! People grew accustomed to the continuous din of milling. Suddenly the mills would silent and people would rush to find out what happened. Why might the mills stop?

You might think the discovery of gold led to instant success, but that was not the case.

Early miners lacked the capital to develop the mines. The Sierra Buttes Gold Mining Co. Ltd. bought the mines in the 1860ís and developed them successfully. 326 men were on the Eureka Mills payroll in 1872. They worked year-round to extend tunnels, lay tracks for mule-drawn ore carts and to complete a sawmill.

The Mohawk mill began operation in 1878, with power to run the mill coming solely from a nearby stream.

The mill cost about $50,000 to build. It had 60 stamps, each of which could crush 2 ½ tons of ore every 24 hours. The stamps were very loud! People grew accustomed to the continuous din of milling. Suddenly the mills would silent and people would rush to find out what happened. Why might the mills stop?

Location. 39° 45.428′ N, 120° 41.989′ W. Marker is near Blairsden-Graeagle, California, in Plumas County. Marker can be reached from Johnsville - McCrea Road (County Highway A14). Touch for map. This marker is located at the mining exhibit across the road form the Eureka-Plumas State Park Museum. Marker is in this post office area: Blairsden-Graeagle CA 96103, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker

Also see . . . Eureka-Plumas State Park - Plumas County. Be sure to visit the park's indoor-outdoor museum of early gold mining equipment and relics, a complete blacksmith shop, a partially restored stamp mill, and a restored miner's home. You can also peer inside the entrance to the Eureka Shaft and see the old timbers.(Submitted on June 16, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on June 16, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. This page has been viewed 364 times since then. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on June 16, 2012, by Barry Swackhamer of San Jose, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

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